Heart-warming tales poured in, ranging from Olga King’s story of meeting her now-husband Larry at the Zane Grey 50, to Sarah Lavender Smith’s chronicle of the mentorship she’s received from ultrarunning legend Ann Trason, to Martin Criminale’s essay on finding connection to his mother, a mountain climber who passed away in 1988, through trail running.

Choosing an Editor’s Choice this month was no easy feat. However, we found ourselves especially charmed by Kali Kirkendall’s tale of moving to small-town Montana, making a new friend and being reminded of how to play—not to train, but to simply play. Read on …

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